Leo Mazzone: 'Chain of command was always broken' with Orioles

Mazzone talked with Mike & Mike in the Morning about the current state of the Boston Red Sox

August 15, 2012|The Baltimore Sun

In a radio appearance on ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning on Wednesday, former Orioles pitching coach had some interesting comments about his tenure with the club when asked about the current turmoil surrounding the Boston Red Sox.

Mazzone compared his time with the Atlanta Braves, where he helped the team to 14 consecutive division titles and five World Series appearances (including one championship), to his two years with the Orioles.

"It all starts at the top. It's called the chain of command. With the chain of command, I have experience with both ends of it," Mazzone said in the interview. "When I was with the Atlanta Braves, there was a chain of command that was in place that was never broken. It was never broken by the players. It started with ownership, with Ted Turner. Then it started with the general manager, John Schuerholz, the manager, Bobby Cox, and the coaching staff and the players. So you had a chain of command that was never broken.

"Then I go to Baltimore and find out why they're losing," Mazzone continued. "The chain of command was always broken, where players got to voice their displeasure to the front office, which took away the power from the manager and nobody really knew who was running what. Basically, what it was, was a bunch of players finding excuses for losing. This is what's going on [in Boston right now]."